Best NBA Win Total Over/Under Bets For 2025-26, Part II: Eastern Conference
Paolo Banchero and the Magic could be contenders in the East in 2025-26 after addressing last year's shooting struggles by landing Desmond Bane.
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After diving into the best 2025-26 win total bets in the Western Conference last week, today we're tackling what could be a wide-open Eastern Conference.
In the wake of late-season Achilles injuries to Bucks guard Damian Lillard, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, oddsmakers expect big seasons from last year's 1-seed, Cleveland, and reigning Eastern Conference runner-up New York.
The pecking order after those two teams is expected to feature Orlando -- which we'll have plenty to say about below -- and play-in fixture Atlanta.
'25-26 NBA Eastern Conference Win Total Odds
DraftKings FanDuel Cavaliers 55.5 (o-115; u-105) 56.5 (o-102; u-130) Knicks 51.5 (o-120; u+100) 52.5 (o-122; u-108) Magic 51.5 (o-110; u-110) 50.5 (o-120; u-110) Hawks 46.5 (o-120; u+100) 47.5 (o-102; u-130) Bucks 44.5 (o+100; u-120) 44.5 (o-102; u-130) Pistons 45.5 (o-105; u-115) 45.5 (o-114; u-114) Celtics 44.5 (o+100; u-125) 43.5 (o-125; u-106) 76ers 43.5 (o-100; u-110) 41.5 (o-130; u-102) Pacers 38.5 (o-110; u-110) 38.5 (o-118; u-112) Heat 37.5 (o-105; u-115) 38.5 (o-104; u-128) Raptors 35.5 (o-110; u-110) 37.5 (o-112; u-118) Bulls 32.5 (o-110; u-110) 32.5 (o-108; u-122) Hornets 24.5 (o-115; u-105) 25.5 (o-106; u-125) Nets 21.5 (o+100; u-120) 20.5 (+102; u-136) Wizards 20.5 (o-115; u-105) 20.5 (o-130; u-102)
Best 2025-26 Eastern Conference Win Total Bets
Below are our three favorite 2025-26 NBA Eastern Conference over/under win total bets.
Orlando Magic Over 51.5 Wins (-120 at FanDuel)
Just about every pundit loves the Magic's chances of taking a step forward after their blockbuster trade for former Grizzlies sharpshooter Desmond Bane, who has made 41 percent of his career 3-point attempts on heavy volume (career 3PA per game: 6.3).
Bane -- who is also a solid ball handler and plus defender -- is much more than just an excellent shooter, though.
His seemingly perfect fit with the Magic -- who suffered from poor spacing due to their league-worst 31.8 percent 3-point shooting in 2024-25 -- is the biggest reason Orlando has been widely praised for giving up four unprotected first-round draft picks, a first-round pick swap, Cole Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a player who has never been an All-Star.
If the much-needed addition of Bane goes anywhere near as well as expected and Paolo Banchero (46 starts in 2024-25), Franz Wagner (60 starts in '24-25) and/or PG Jalen Suggs (35 starts) can stay healthy*, the Magic could push Cleveleand and New York for the top seed in the East.
For now, there are too many "ifs" to take Orlando to win the East, but a 52-win season in a manageable conference should be well within reach.
Charlotte Hornets Over 24.5 (-115 at DraftKings)
The Hornets have won just 27 games or fewer in four of the last six seasons, and there are major questions at center, where the current options are second-round rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner, fourth-year journeyman Moussa Diabate and 35-year-old Mason Plumlee.
With that in mind, Charlotte is understandably expected to once again be one of the worst teams in the East -- and we haven't even gotten into whether the Hornets can count on LaMelo Ball to stay healthy.
I'm nevertheless convinced there's major upside for this team.
Last year, Charlotte was not only missing its top two players -- Ball and Brandon Miller -- for most of the year due to injury, but it also got just 13 games out of Tre Mann and 16 from Grant Williams.
While the 23-year-old Ball has only enjoyed one healthy season in the league, Miller played 74 games as a rookie and was good for 34 minutes a night before a wrist injury derailed Year 2 after 27 games.
But the biggest reason I'm bullish on the Hornets is the underrated offseason they've enjoyed under EVP of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson. Charlotte got a ton of love for taking two quality shooters in Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley in the first round of the draft, and Kalkbrenner was a solid second-round pickup.
The Hornets also have a handful of solid scoring threats on the perimeter after acquiring Collin Sexton from the Jazz, renewing Mann's contract and adding two proven vets in Plumlee and Spencer Dinwiddie.
There's enough here -- especially if Diabate and Kalkbrenner prove at least serviceable at the 5 -- for the Hornets to grind their way to at least 25 wins even if Ball once again misses long stretches. And if (yes, it's a big if) the 2021-22 All-Star manages to stay healthy, the Hornets' first 40-win season since '21-22 is a realistic possibility.
Detroit Pistons Over 45.5 Wins (-105 at DraftKings)
After taking a massive leap from 14-68 in 2023-24 to 44-38 in 2024-25, could All-Star Cade Cunningham and the Pistons take another step forward in 2025-26?
Personally, I'm bullish on one of the best young guards in the league leading a team that pushed the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs to another big season.
The case for the Pistons in '25-26 starts with the dangerous combo of 23-year-old Cunningham and center Jalen Duren (21) continuing to improve in Year 5 for the former and Year 4 for the latter.
The Pistons could also get a boost from the return of Jaden Ivey, who missed over 50 games in 2024-25, but was shooting over 40 percent from 3 through 30 games last year.
Between Cunningham, Duren, lockdown defender Ausar Thompson, Ivey and 2024 No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland, the Pistons should have more than enough to offset the offseason losses of Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder.
That's especially true if free agent acquisition Duncan Robinson, a career 39.7 3-point shooter, can replace Beasley's lights-out shooting.
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